Charming
by Autumn's Song
Summary: Sakura has become desolate these past few months due to some serious family problems, but she thinks nobody is there to help her. Little does she know she's getting more help than she dreamed of. S+S, definately, and a little E+T.


AN: I know in the summary I put the evil word ' Dance' but truthfully this  
fic is almost completely  
different from other dance fics. It's also part songfic. I hope you like  
it, it will really decide whether or not I post more fics  
here. Anyway, on with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptors or the song I use ( Mary Jane by  
Alanis Morrisette)  
  
  
  
  
  
Charming~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Sakura groaned as she headed for her room. Despite her father and  
brothers' protests, she didn't  
plan on coming back down for the rest of the night. Life lately had been  
far from wonderful for the  
whole Kinomoto family, and Sakura had been stuck in the middle. She was  
currently 15, her  
cardcapting days were over; but that didn't save her from evil. Some  
strange force had been haunting  
her lately, and Syaoran didn't seem to sense it. Home life wasn't all that  
peachy either. The just  
discovered Otousan had cancer, lung cancer to be exact. Oniichan somehow  
managed to impregnate  
some other girl, so Yukito doesn't come around anymore; not to mention the  
girl is trying to sue for  
rape... and winning. No, none of it really made sense, and that only seemed  
to cause more guilt trips for  
Sakura. If it wasn't her fault, then whose was it.  
  
Sakura realized mildly that she was leading herself down the wrong  
road by blaming herself, but  
she always seemed the person to take all of the problems her family had set  
upon her. Where else  
could they go? she thought to herself, they need me to listen.  
  
She leaned up against her closed door and slid down slowly,  
fighting with all her might to stop the  
tears that threatened to come. She longed for someone who she thought would  
understand, namely an  
adult. All the adults she knew, however, were simply out of the question.  
She would talk to Tomoyo,  
but she didn't want to trouble her. She would really like to talk to  
Syaoran, but he always seemed so  
distant lately. He's been like that since he moved here, she corrected  
herself, but something about  
him... She woke up from letting her mind drift and lifted herself off the  
floor. She noticed her window  
was open and walked over to close it. Before she did she took a look  
outside.  
  
It was late fall, but the cool atmosphere felt good against the  
long summer. She watched the  
leaves fall onto the red and orange blanket set on the ground from the past  
few days. She would usually  
comment to herself on how beautiful the day was, but all she could see were  
shades of black and  
white. Finally she went to bed, hoping she would get some sleep that night.  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%  
  
Sakura woke with a start when her new alarm clock sounded. That  
thing could wake the dead.  
She had to get it though, Kero was living with Tomoyo. Sakura didn't think  
that either she nor her  
family could deal with finding out she was a cardcaptor, and even if they  
didn't believe her thinking  
themselves crazy wouldn't help any either. Both Sakura and Kero were upset  
with this, but she thought  
it was for the better. She hadn't seen him in at least a week or two, but  
didn't really have the mental  
capacity to miss him; which made her feel incredibly guilty on top of  
everything else. She sighed and  
hit the 'off' button, mildly hoping Touya wouldn't have to deal with any  
deceased ancestors because of  
the damned thing.  
  
" Ohayo, minna!" Sakura greeted as she walked into the classroom. AS  
fat as her peers knew,  
nothing was going on. Tomoyo smiled and immediately started babbling about  
new designs she had in  
mind. Sakura only lent half of her attention to Tomoyo, the other was spent  
in concern towards  
Syaoran. He was too silent; usually he would at least have said good  
morning to her. She didn't have  
time to ponder this before Tomoyo cut through her thoughts.  
"... so will you, Sakura-chan?" Sakura blinked a couple times before  
smiling sweetly.  
" Sure!" Tomoyo started laughing.  
" Sakura-chan, I just asked you if you would wear my new alien design  
to the dance tomorrow!  
What's wrong?" Sakura looked over to Syaoran again, he looked deep in  
thought.  
" Dance?" She asked as she turned back to Tomoyo. Tomoyo nodded  
enthusiastically.  
" I have the perfect dress for you, Sakura-chan!" Sakura breathed a  
sigh of relief. At least she  
wouldn't have to pay for one. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Syaoran  
flinch.  
" Thanks so much Tomoyo. when do I get to try it on?" Tomoyo squealed  
with happiness at  
Sakura's enthusiasm.  
" Today, of course! If there are any adjustments I need to make, I'll  
need time!" Sakura forced a  
smile.  
" Of course."  
  
By lunchtime Sakura was famished, she she was first in line at the snack  
bar. Tomoyo dragged behind,  
looking around for something. Suddenly she ran up to another classmate.  
" Syaoran-kun!" She called. The student turned toward her with his  
usual stoic stare. Tomoyo  
stopped to catch her breath before she continued.  
" I'm worried about *gasp* Sakura-chan." This seemed to strike something  
in him. " Lets talk about  
this somewhere else." She continued.  
  
~*  
  
" She's just grown so distant..." Tomoyo explained on the verge of  
tears. Syaoran nodded, seemingly  
uninterested in the topic.  
" There, there, Daidouji-san. It's probably just a phase" He comforted  
coldly. If he were talking to  
anybody else other than Tomoyo or Eriol they would be incredibly offended,  
even Sakura. But they  
knew him better than that, and quite frankly that worried him. Tomoyo  
merely burst into tears and  
cried onto Syaoran's shoulder. He wasn't really one for sympathizing,  
Tomoyo knew it, so she didn't  
expect anything more than a shoulder. After a few moments she wiped her  
tears and blew her nose in a  
napkin. Sakura started walking toward them but broke out into a run when  
she saw Tomoyo's red eyes.  
  
" Tomoyo-chan! What's wrong?!" Sakura asked when she got there. Her  
tone was tired, and for  
good reason. She was sick of asking that question. Tomoyo just smiled and  
waved those thoughts away.  
  
" I just stubbed my toe, that's all." Sakura looked at her curiously.  
By the looks of it it's like she lost  
a toe, she thought. Sakura sat down next to them as Tomoyo pretended to rub  
her toe in pain.  
Syaoran looked over to Sakura, who was trying to figure out if Tomoyo was  
faking it or not. " Are you  
going to the dance?" He asked monotonously. It wasn't an invitation, Sakura  
could tell, but the look in  
his eyes hinted that he was worried about something. She passed it as the  
lights' reflection.  
" Yeah, and I bet Tomoyo-chan's got a beautiful dress for me." Sakura  
changed the subject  
successfully, she too worried when he looked like that. Tomoyo suddenly  
smiled and her eyes glazed  
over with stars as she imagined the dress. Before she could get far the  
lunch bell rang, leaving a hungry  
Tomoyo and Syaoran. Tomoyo leapt up gathering her things quickly.  
" I promised Dosota-sensei Id be there early!" She explained before  
darting into the school. Sakura  
started to do the same, but at a much slower pace. Before she left, she  
heard someone call her.  
" Sakura," She turned around. It was Syaoran. " Save a dance for me,  
will you?" And with that he  
walked off into the school, following the same route Tomoyo did. Sakura  
stood there in shock. For a  
guy who says next to nothing, that was quite a thing to say. She held her  
hand on her cheek like he  
kissed her, staring at him from behind. She shook her head a little bit  
then realized how late she was  
going to be. With that thought in mind she made a mad dash to her  
classroom.  
That afternoon Sakura tried on her dress... with a blindfold. Tomoyo  
was set on making the moment  
perfect for Sakura. With the Cinderella concept in mind, Tomoyo made sure  
Sakura would be just as  
awestruck as everyone else (In Tomoyo's mind should) would be when she  
walked into the gym. After  
a few moments Tomoyo upsettingly concluded that there were far too many  
ribbons. This earned a  
whole-hearted laugh from Sakura; something she hadn't done in months. When  
prompted what had  
gotten into her, Sakura giddily told Tomoyo about what Syaoran had told  
her.  
" Ooh! Sakura! You must feel special to be chosen by the 'high and  
mighty' Li Syaoran!" Sakura  
giggled and agreed.  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*  
  
The gym was decorated beautifully for the Autumn season, with the  
predictable construction paper  
leaves, and newspaper trees. What made it so breathtaking is that the art  
class spent the last few weeks  
putting leaves up on the ceiling and using string to recreate the leaves  
falling. Even the floor was  
heavily duct taped with leaves. Wow, Sakura thought, these people are leaf  
happy. Sakura had been so  
preoccupied with the rest of her life she simply didn't pay attention to  
any of the announcements. She  
suddenly smirked to herself. I have to save a dance for Syaoran-kun!. She  
giggled again and vaguely  
considered what it would be like to dance a slow dance with him.  
" When she got home that afternoon she was struck with bad news.  
Fujitaka was getting worse, but  
refused the hospital, claiming that if they lost the case there would be no  
money to pay for things like  
that. The lawyers also called saying they need to make an offer to settle  
the case or else to expect the  
worst. Having nowhere else to go they both piled it on Sakura.  
Unfortunately she was still the caring  
loving person she was four years ago, and took the blame personally for  
everything. There must've  
been something you could've done to help this, she accused angrily. Tomoyo  
was expecting her at the  
mansion by four so she could doll Sakura up in time for the dance at six.  
Sakura had no trouble with  
running away from the madness.  
Before she could ring the doorbell to Tomoyo's house the door flung  
open and a yellow ball of fluff  
tackled her to the floor.  
" Hi Sakura!! Sorry I wasn't here yesterday but I was playing video  
games... but that's not  
important! It's good to see you again!!" Sakura smiled weakly and picked  
Kero off of her.  
" Good to see you too, Kero. c'mon, Tomoyo. Let's get this over  
with." Kero looked slightly hurt at  
her tone of voice, so she added:  
" Will you help too, Kero? I sure Tomoyo'll need all the help she can  
get. Plus I can't go anywhere  
without your fashion expertise." Kero brightened up drastically and flew  
inside, practically dragging  
the other two along.  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*  
  
When Sakura and Tomoyo walked into the gym the party had already  
started, given it was 6:35.  
Kero insisted that they eat some sweets with him for good luck. Tomoyo  
finally decided that her  
back-up dress would have to do, since the other was unsalvageable  
underneath all the ribbons and  
bows. It was beautiful, Sakura thought. She donned a dark green spaghetti  
strap dress that hugged her  
curves until it reached mid calf where it flared out beautifully. Tomoyo,  
after much debate, decided  
she'd match Sakura with a purple dress.  
Tomoyo looked at her project in awe, she looks beautiful. With that  
impeccable green eye shadow  
she has on nobody could resist her! she thought maniacally. After calming  
down Tomoyo suggested  
they find Li-kun. Sakura smiled and agreed.  
Syaoran's eyes shot towards the duo like lovesick magnets, carefully  
watching where they would go  
next. After concluding they were heading for him he calmed down a little,  
and wondered how the night  
would turn out.  
  
~*  
  
As the night went on Sakura simply sat off to the side, drowning  
herself in guilt. Pathetic, she  
thought, you try to make something better and it only gets worse. She'd  
been asked all night to dance,  
but she politely declined each one, claiming she was too tired from her  
last dance. Suddenly the Dj's  
voice cut through her thoughts.  
" all right ladies and gents, last dance of the evening, and couple  
only! So if ya don't got one grab  
somebody and get on the dance floor!" Sakura went into a small panic. Oh  
no! I never danced with  
Syaoran, I hope he doesn't get mad...  
" May I have this dance?" A hand was offered. She was about to decline  
when she looked up and  
saw Syaoran. She smiled.  
" As promised." She replied accepting his hand. Soon a calm steady eat  
flowed through the gym,  
causing all the couple to sway with it. Suprisingly Syaoran held her closer  
and rested his head on her  
shoulder. Before she had a chance to blush his voice crept through her ear.  
  
" What's the matter Mary Jane, had hard day? So place the 'don't  
disturb' sign on the door" Sakura  
recognized the lyrics to coincide with the song. Somehow she knew he was  
singing them for her. " Lost  
you place in line again? What a pity. You never seem to want to dance  
anymore." Sakura blinked away  
some tears that were unwillingly finding their way to her eyes.  
" It's a long way down, on this rollercoaster. The last chance  
streetcar went off the tracks... and  
you're on it." She clung to him tighter, trying to hold back her tears.  
She wanted to believe he  
understood, but wouldn't allow herself the luxury. She didn't deserve  
comfort.  
" I hear you're counting sheep again, Mary Jane. What's the point of  
trying to dream anymore?"  
Sakura asked herself why he was telling her this, it was only making it  
worse.  
" Hear you're loosing weight again Mary Jane. D'you ever wonder who  
you're losing it for?" No,  
she corrected herself. He's trying to make me look at it different. He's  
trying to help.  
" Well it's full speed baby, in the wrong direction. There's a few  
more bruises, if that's the way you  
insist on heading." But nothing is wrong, she told herself. There's nothing  
I can do to change anything,  
so why are you telling me this? I like my life...  
She felt Syaoran shake his head as in response to her thoughts. "  
Please be honest Mary Jane, are  
you happy? Please, don't censor your tears." That was the strange irony  
that finally brought her to  
tears. That song had sung her life, and Syaoran was telling it to her. She  
immediately started crying,  
and Syaoran instinctively held her closer as he continued to lead her in a  
waltz across the gym.  
" You're the sweet crusader, and you're on your way. You're the last  
sweet innocent... and that's  
why I love you." Syaoran kissed her neck lightly in comfort, for she was  
still crying as hard as she was  
before. Now it was for a different reason: she couldn't help but feel  
guilty. Here she was being  
comforted, when at home things were terrible. There was a pause in the song  
where Syaoran spun her  
around, then brought her back into an embrace.  
" Take this moment Mary Jane, and be selfish." He said the last part  
in an almost pleading way. "  
Worry not about the cars that go by. All that matters now is your freedom,"  
He ran his thumb along her  
cheek. " So keep warm my dear, keep dry..." He ended in a whisper, and  
stopped gliding across the  
floor. He simply stood there, hugging a broken down, but much relieved,  
Sakura.  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*  
  
As the crowds started talking a nervous voice filled the gym. " Uh, we  
have a bit of bad news. We  
seemed to have had a freak snow storm, and we're buried neck high in snow.  
We'll have to camp out  
here until further notice." It was the Dj with an obvious confused tone.  
The school responded with an  
overall 'what the hell?'.  
" I know, I know, but bear with us here. We'll get cocoa passed around  
in a minute.. and I guess I'll  
keep spinning so ya'll don't get bored." Then class cheered while all the  
girls groaned; they all longed  
get out of their heels!  
Sakura looked up from Syaoran's shoulder and smiled. " Ah, but being the  
above average Card  
mistress," she paused and pulled out something from behind her back. "  
brought her socks!" Sure  
enough, Sakura held up a pair of socks triumphantly. Syaoran smiled and  
almost allowed himself a  
laugh. Sakura suddenly stepped back from him in terror.  
" Oh my gosh, did you..." Sakura turned around to face an eager video  
camera. " Did you see that,  
Tomoyo-chan? He smiled!" The camera nodded eagerly and giggled. Syaoran  
turned red and growled  
nervously. Sakura merely turned back toward him and gave him the biggest  
hug she had.  
" You saved me, Syaoran." He blushed furiously, but couldn't help  
feeling wonderful now that  
Sakura was back to normal.  
" Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed and clung to her camera like there was no  
tomorrow. Suddenly a  
mischievous glint flashed through Syaoran's eyes. Sakura had just finished  
putting on her socks and  
nearly threw her heels out the window. Syaoran then picked Sakura up  
caveman style.  
" Hooeeee?!" She screamed as she was being pulled up. Syaoran smirked.  
  
" Who's going to save you now?" She started kicking wildly and took  
off, Tomoyo following with  
her camera. She started laughing harder when Sakura started screaming for  
her to help. Suddenly  
someone tapped Tomoyo on the shoulder. She turned around and gasped.  
" Eriol-kun! What are you doing here... and how did you get in?! The  
whole schools' six feet  
under!" Eriol let an evil smile creep across his face.  
" Oh? I didn't notice." Tomoyo looked at him shocked for a moment  
before laughing.  
" Ohohoho, you didn't have anything to do with our little storm, now  
would you?" Eriol grinned as  
he pulled Tomoyo into a dance.  
" I felt Sakura was depressed," He stated calmly, the ridiculous grin  
still plastered on his face. "  
And so I figured, what better way to make her feel better than to lock her  
in a room with my cute  
descendant?" With this Tomoyo laughed outright.  
" You are so evil, Eriol-kun." She replied, looking over his shoulder  
at Syaoran, who was trying to  
protect himself from Sakura; both laughing, but with Syaoran, you have to  
look past the straight face  
and attitude to hear his. Eriol lifted her head up with his thumb, making  
eye contact.  
" Would you have it any other way, Tomoyo-san?" She blushed and rested  
her head on his should  
in an attempt to hide it.  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*  
  
They were still locked in by the time midnight rolled around, but  
almost all parent had been  
contacted. Tomoyo smiled smugly and stated ' never leave home without it'  
when she pulled out her  
cell phone, causing Sakura to breath a BIG sigh of relief. Syaoran took a  
while to calm down when he  
discovered Eriol was here, but when he did, they could all catch up on each  
other's lives. With Sakura  
being so distant, and Eriol more so, it was good to talk about things  
without tension. The school had  
turned out their lights so that the students could sleep, so the only light  
there was coming in from the  
full moon.  
Sakura and Syaoran sat next to the large window wrapped in a blanket.  
They had the perfect excuse  
too, Tomoyo thought amusedly. Sakura was dressed in very thin material, and  
Syaoran claimed he was  
just as cold as she was. There were very limited blankets, so there was one  
per couple. Eriol and  
Tomoyo would've lent Syaoran theirs, but Tomoyo simply wouldn't sit on the  
floor in that dress. Eriol  
and Tomoyo sat on theirs, both perfectly content on laughing and smiling  
with the card captor burrito  
in front of them. The two could barely drink their hot chocolate they were  
so close together, but  
Syaoran gave the impression that he was disliking she was anywhere near  
him. Sakura didn't seem to  
care, she just laughed and talked with him as though he were in the best of  
moods.... but that's what  
flustered him. He WAS in the best of moods. These people, he thought, can  
see right through me. He  
found comfort in that thought, and returned his attention to Sakura.  
Tomoyo was thinking about how peaceful things were, until she noticed  
something. She looked at  
the moon, then back again, with a sly smirk on her face.  
" You got Yue into this too?" She asked Eriol, who was watching Sakura  
and Syaoran flirt. Eriol  
looked up to her with a genuinely confused look.  
" I don't know what you're talking about." Tomoyo pointed to the moon.  
  
" The moon's not supposed to be full for another 12 days." Eriol  
laughed in amazement as he looked  
to where Tomoyo was pointing.  
" I guess Yue cares about his Mistress as much as we do." Eriol  
concluded with a smile. He glanced  
over to Sakura, who'd never been that happy for months. He could feel her  
joys radiating everywhere,  
and it had (obviously) intoxicated his cute descendant. He then looked to  
the people around them who  
had also camped out near the window for light. They were all laying down to  
sleep. After he saw  
Sakura and Tomoyo yawn simultaneously he decided maybe they should all get  
to sleep.  
" We should hit the sack, guys. It'll be a hard day tomorrow trying to  
be found." Eriol suggested.  
Sakura laughed and agreed.  
Syaoran made extra sure Sakura never left his touch when they both lied  
down. He was so worried for  
her, and truthfully feared the worst. He nearly smiled when Sakura wrapped  
his arms around her like a  
blanket and snuggled deeper into his chest. He also concluded he'd done  
way too much smiling today  
than he thought healthy. That can't be good... Sakura laughed as response  
to his thoughts.  
" Thank you." She whispered. She fell asleep before she could hear  
more than one person reply.  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*  
  
" She is truly a remarkable person," Kero stated proudly. He couldn't  
help but take part  
responsibility in her up bringing. " But she has even more remarkable  
friends." As he said that he  
looked up to Yue.  
" Yes..." Yue replied stonily. The two guardians were perched on a  
nearby roof looking in on  
Sakura through the window. The snow that Eriol had created was obstructing  
their view, but they could  
still see Sakura's pink aura, now shining brighter than it had before. Kero  
sighed and looked over to  
Yue.  
" But she's still in danger, isn't she?" Yue nodded. He didn't comment  
on it, for he feared if he did,  
the more helpless her situation would sound. Kero didn't have to hears the  
words to understand Yue.  
He looked back to Sakura in worry.  
" Keep warm, my dear. Keep dry."  
  
  
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*  
  
  
  
~El finis!  
  
  
AN: Okay, thanks for reading it guys, but as you can see, I've left room  
for a sequel. If I get a certain  
amount of reviews I'll write a sequel... and it probably won't be another  
one-shot. I tend to... babble,  
therefore creating many many chapters. =) review, please, and id like some  
constructive criticism too.  
See you laters! ~A  
  



End file.
